Dual band pushbutton tuner



De@ 1o, 196s R. D. STAMM 3,415,129

DUAL BAND PUSHBUTTON TUNER Filed Nov. 16. 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 .MII

M BY 4FM- ATTORNEY Dec. 10, 1968 R. D. STAMM 3,415,129

DUAL BAND PUSHBUTTON TUNER Filed Wov. 16, 1966 4 Sheets--Shee'fl 2 INVEI "TOR Fm. /0 Bwffjfmf ATTORNEY Dec. l0, 1968 R. D. sTAMM 3,415,129'

DUAL BAND PUSHBUTTON TUNER Filed Nov. 16, -1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 @sin p. funn ATTORNEY Dec. l0, 1968 R. D. sTAMM 3,415,129l

DUAL BAND PUSHBUTTON TUNER Filed Nov. 16, 196e 4 sheets-sheet 4 INVENTOR ,e4/55H J7. .5f/1MM ATTORNEY United States Patent Office 3,415,129 DUAL BAND PUSHBUITON TUNER Russell D. Stamm, Wilbraham, Mass., assiguor to General Instrument Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 16, 1966, Ser. No. 594,865 9 Claims. (Cl. 74-10.33)

ABSTRACT F THE DISCLSURE In a pushbutton tuner provided with a plurality of operating members each of which is designed to be selectively associated with one of a pair of movable control members by means of a connecting part shifted from one position to another, the connecting parts are provided with locating portions engageable with shift means which moves the connecting parts so as to cause them to engage one or the other of their respective associated control members, the locating portions of the connecting parts and the shift means being so constructed as to remain in engagement throughout the entire operative movement of the operating members, thereby to ensure that the connecting means remain at all times in proper position. The operating members are provided with pushbuttons, and the connecting parts are mounted on or adjacent to those pushbuttons, thereby to simplify the construction and assembly of the device.

The present invention relates to a pushbutton tuner designed for tuning over a plurality of bands, and in which each pushbutton is efective, under the control of the operator, to select a particular station within each of the bands in question.

Pushbutton tuners are in common use. In such tuners a plurality of manually actuatable operating members or pushbuttons are provided, each individually movable between inoperative and operative positions. When a given member is moved to operative position, a control member carried thereby adjusts the tuning means to a particular position corresponding to a desired frequency to be received. The control members comprise'cams the position of which may be adjusted relative to their associated operating members so as to adapt that particular pushbutton to the tuning of a particular frequency. These cams are adapted selectively to engage a movable part of the tuning means, such as a rocker arm or the like, positioning that part in accordance with the position of the cam relative to the operating member and thereby producing a desired change in the status of the tuning means. Conventionally each pushbutton is effective to select only a single tuned frequency. Thus the number of stations which may be selected by a given array of conventional pushbuttons usually is equal to the number of pushbuttons provided.

Often there is need for selective tuning of a greater number of stations than the number of pushbuttons which can conveniently |be provided or used. This problem arises particularly in connection with sets designed to tune over a plurality of bands, such as broadcast and Shortwave, AM and FM, or VHF and UHF. The available number of pushbuttons may be limited by reasons of space, weight, or desired ease of station selection; in the case of multiband tuning it is particularly desirable that the number of pushbuttons provided for manual manipulation be less than the total number of stations to be tuned, since otherwise the user of the set might well err in selecting the proper pushbutton for the desired station in the desired band. Moreover, in multi-band tuners it is quite often the case that different tuning elements are employed for ditferent bands, thus requiring changes in the internal circuitry of the tuners as between one band 3,415,129 Patented Dec. 10, 1968 and another. This necessitates switching of connections within the tuner, and consequently one must coordinate such switching with the selection of a given pushbutton corresponding to the desired band.

One approach to this problem which has been proposed in the past is to provide each pushbutton or operating member with a plurality vof control members, and to provide means for rendering one or the other of those control members operative when the pushbutton is actuated, depending upon the particular station or band to be tuned. However, arrangements of this type which have been proposed in the past have suffered either from excessive complexity or from lack of positiveness in operation, or both.

It is the prime object of the present invention to provide a pushbutton tuner in which each operating member is associated with a plurality of control members, the operating member being selectively mechanically connected with one or the other of those control members, depending upon the station or band which it is desired to tune. It is a further prime object of the present invention to provide such an arrangement in which the connection of the operating members to a selected one of their associated control members is eifected by simple means under control of the operator, and in which the connection of each pushbutton or operating member to its associated cam or control member is reliably maintained under all conditions of operation. vIt is a further prime object of the present invention to provide an arrangement of the type described in which the structure employed for selectively connecting the pushbutton to one or the other of the control members is simple, reliable, and very easily assembled into the overall structure.

In accordance with the above, each pushbutton is associated with an operating member mounted for movement ybetween operative and inoperative position. A movable control member is provided on either side of that operating member, each such control member carrying an adjustable cam which is adapted to engage the tuning means and tune it to desired position. Mounted on the operating member is a connecting part capable of assuming two operative positions selectively mechanically connecting the operating member to one or the other of the control members. The connecting part has a locating portion which is adapted to be moved in order to position the part in one or the other of its operative positions. The locating portions of all of the connecting parts engage with a shift means, the engagement being such that as the shift means is moved from one of its operative positions to the other the connecting part is shifted from one of its operative positions to the other, the shift means therefore simultaneously connecting each of the operating members to one or the other of its associated control members. The engagement between the connecting part and the shift means is further such that physical connection therebetween continues to exist throughout the movement of the operating members and the control members mechanically connected thereto at any given time between operative and inoperative positions. Thus accidental disengagement of a given operating member from a particular control member associated therewith is positively prevented. The location of the connecting member in one or the other of its operative positions is further ensured by providing a resilient detenting action thereon.

In order to facilitate assembly, operation and repair, the connecting part is mounted on its associated operating member closely adjacent to the pushbutton secured thereto, with the resilient detenting means active on the connecting part preferably being carried by that pushbutton. In a preferred embodiment the button, connecting part and detenting means comprise a single subassembly attachable to and detachable from the operating member as a unit.

To the accomplishment of the above, and to such other objects as may hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to the construction of a pushbutton tuner as defined in the appended claims and as described in this specification, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of the present invention designed for multi-band tuning;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view of the front portion of the tuner of FIG. 1, but showing the shift means in a different operative position;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view taken along the line 3 3 of FIG. l;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary three-quarter perspective exploded view of certain of the parts of the unit;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views taken along the lines 5 5 and 6 6 of FIGS. l and 2 respectively;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views taken along the lines 7 7 and 8 8 of FIG. l;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 9 9 of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view showing an alternative embodiment of the means for mounting the connecting part on the operator member.

Although the present invention is here specifically disclosed in connection with a tuner designed for tuning over a plurality of bands, and particularly for selecting tuning either in an AM band or an FM band, it will be appreciated that the applicability of the invention is not ilimited thereto, but may be applied to tuning in other bands, o-r even to tuning a plurality of stations in a single band (eg. enabling tive pushbuttons to be used to tune ten stations in the same band). Moreover, although the invention is here specifically described in terms of a pushbutton tuner, it will be apparent that this word is used generically and that the invention is applicable for use in tuners in which operating elements are adapted to be moved, whether that movement is by pushing or pulling and whether that movement is rectilinear, as here specifically disclosed, or of some other character, such as rotational, pivotal, etc.

The drawings disclose a tuner comprising a support generally designated 2 on which a plurality of adjustable tuning elements are mounted. As here disclosed these tuning elements comprise two sets of tuned inductances, one set 4 of such inductances being used for reception in one band, e.g. for FM reception, and another set 6 of such inductances being used for tuning in another band, e.g. for AM reception. The inductances 4 are adapted to be tuned, in conventional fashion, by telescoping cores 8 and the inductances 6 are adapted to be tuned in corresponding fashion by telescoping cores 10. All of the cores 8 and 10 are connected by rods 12 to a bracket 14 which is movable toward and away from the inductances 4 and 6. A linkage defined by crank 16 and arm 18 actuates a pointer 20 which is adapted to cooperate with an indicating scale on the tuner, thereby to indicate the frequency being tuned. The crank 16 is pivotally mounted to the support 2 at 22, one end 24 thereof is pivotally and slidably received within slot 26 in the member 14, and the other arm thereof is pivotally connected at 28 to the arm 18, the end 30 of the arm 18 being pivotally and slidably received within groove 32 formed in the support 2. The member 14 moves rectilinearly, and is -connected by links 34 to arms 36 extending up at oplposite sides of the support 2 from a rocker arm generally designated 38 (see FIG. 4) which is pivotally mounted on the support 2 at 40. The rocker arm 38 comprises upper and lower rods 42. As is conventional, the position of the member 14 will determine the amount to which the cores 8 and 10 telescope within their respective 'inductances 4 and 6, and this in turn will affect the in- ,ductance value of the latter and tune them so that the overall tuner circuitry will accept a particular received ifrequency or channel of intelligence transmission.

-It has been pointed out that the inductances 4 may be ,designed for use in FM tuning and the inductances 6 may -be designed for use in AM tuning. Only one type of tuning will be accomplished at a time, the particular type being determined by which of the inductances 4 or 6 .are connected into the tuning circuit. This is controlled by switch 44 which is mounted on the support 2 and is provided with a button 46 shiftable from left to right, as viewed in the drawings, in order to condition the tuner for FM or AM tuning.

The rocker arm 38 with its upper and lower rods `42, together with its connections to the member 14, will be recognized as a relatively conventional tuning arrangement adapted to be actuated `by known types of pushbutton systems. The rotative position of the rocker arm 36 controls the location of the member 14, and hence the tuning of the inductances 4 and 6.

The pushbutton structure of the present invention comprises a plurality of operating members generally designated 48 (here shown as tive in number) disposed sidewise across the front face of the support 2 and mounted in the support 2 for rectilinear movement. As may perhaps best `be seen from FIGS. 4, 7 and 8, each of these operating members y48 comprises a metal plate having an elongated rearwardly extending narrowed nose 50 and an elongated forwardly extending narrowed nose 52, the latter having Vbarbs 54 at its end, a body portion 56 being provided between the nose portions 50 and 52. The rearwardly extending nose portion 50 is slidably received in aperture 58 formed in rear support plate 60. The body portion 56 is slidably received in notch 62 forming a part of wide aperture 63 in front support plate 64. Each operating memberl 48 is therefore slidably mounted in the support between a forward inoperative position and a rearward operative position. (As here used the term forward refers to a direction which is downward as viewed in FIG. 1 and the term rearward refers to a direction which is upward as viewed in FIG. 1, this convention `being adapted for purposes of simyplicity and consistency.)

A pair of control members generally designated 66 and 68 are provided on either side of each operating member 48. Each control member comprises a body portion 70 having a rearwardly extending narrowed nose portion 72, the nose portion 72 being slidably received in aperture 74 in the front support plate 60 and the body portion 70 being slidably received in notch 76 formed in the aperture 63 in the front support plate 64. Springs 78 are received over the nose portions 72 and are compressed between the rear support plate 60 and the body portions 70. The control members 66 and 68 are therefore slidable between inoperative forward positions and operative rearward positions, and are resiliently urged to their inoperative forward positions by the springs 78.

Each of the control members 66 and 68 carries a cam 80 adustably rotationally positionable about the axis 82 and adapted, when the control member 70 is moved rearwardly to its operative position, to engage the rods 42 of the rocker arm 38 and rotatibely position the latter, as is conventional in the Ipushbutton tuner art. A typical pushbutton tuner assembly is associated with each of the control members 66 and 68 and the cams 80 carried there-by, that structure including a notched arm 84 extending upwardly from the body portion 70, a cam locking lever 86 mounted on the arm 84, and an extension member 88 slidably mounted on the body portion 70 and having a raised section 90 movable into engagement with the locking lever 86 to cause the latter to engage the cam 80 and retain it in position. This type of pushbutton tuner construction is disclosed and described more in detail in Stamm Patent 2,996,925 0f Aug. 22, 1961, assigned to the assignee of this application. Each of the extensions 88 is provided on its upper surface with a notch 92 which is adapted to register with the forwardly extending nose portion 52 of the associated operating member 48 when both the operating member 48 and the control member 66 or 68 are both in their forward inoperative positions.

The :forwardly extending nose portions 52 of the operating members 48 have pushbuttons 94 received thereon over the bar-bed areas 54.

`Connecting members generally designated 96 are mounted on each of the operating members 48, and preferably on the forwardly extending nose portions 52 thereof. As disclosed in FIGS. 1-9, each of the pushbuttons 94 is provided with a rearwardly extending sleeve portion 98 on which the connecting member 96 is directly mounted, that member comprising a body port-ion 100 having a pair of oppositely laterally extending arms 102 and 104 and an upwardly extending locating arm or portion 106. The lower end of the body portion 46 is provided with an opening 108 so shaped as to lit over the button portion 98 and permit the connecting part 96 to pivot between right and left hand positions in which its arms 102 and 104 are respectively projected laterally from the buttonconnect-ing part assembly. The arms 102 and 104 are so shaped and dimensioned, in conjunction with the shape of the opening 108, that when the connecting part 96 is in its right hand position, as shown in FIG. 5, the arm 102 is received in the notch 92 in the right hand control member 66 while the arm 104 is removed from the notch 92 `in the left hand control member 68. When the connecting part 96 is in its left hand position, as shown in FIG. 6, the relationship between the arms 102, 104 of the notches 92 in the control members 66 and 68 is reversed. Thus it will be seen that when the connecting part 96 is in its right hand position the operating member 48 is physically connected to the control member 66 and is physically disconnected from the control member 68, and when the connecting part 96 is in its left hand position the operating member 48 is connected to the control member 68 and is disconnected from the control member 66.

In order to assist the connecting part 96 in reaching and remaining in one or the other of its operative positions as thus described, the lower surface thereof is provided with a protrusion 110 and a detent spring 112 is active thereon, that detent spring 112 being mounted in, carried by and extending rearwardly from the button 94. As FIGS. 5 and 6 clearly illustrate, the interaction between the spring 112 and the protrusion 110 produces an over-center effect which retains the connecting part 96 in a given operative position but permits it to :be manually moved to its other operative position when that is desired.

The connecting parts 96 on each of the operating members 48 are simultaneously moved from one operative position to the other by shift means generally designated 114 which is -mounted on the support 2 for lateral movement. The shift means 114 comprises a forwardly extending plate 116 provided with a plurality of elongated slots 118, one for each operating member 48 and its associ-ated connecting part 96. The upwardly extending locating -arms or portions 106 of the connecting parts 96 are received respectively in the slots 118 in all positions of the operating members 48, the slots 118 being appropriately elongated. Thus when the shift means 114 is positioned to the right (as in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5) all of the Vconnecting parts 96 will be pivoted to the right, thus operatively connecting their respective operating members 48 to their right hand control members 66, and when a push-button 94 is pushed in, thus causing its operating member 48 to move inwardly to operative position, the

right hand control member 66 will likewise be moved inwardly to its operative position against the action of the spring 78, the cam 80 carried thereby engaging the rods 42 of the rocker -arm 38 and rotating the latter to achieve a desired tuning eifect. During the movement of the operating member 48 and the right hand control member 66 from the inoperative to operative position, the upwardly extending locating portion or arm 106 of the connecting part 96 will ride along its slot 118 in the plate 116 of the shift means 114, the shift means thus ensuring that the operative mechanical connection between the operating member 48 and the right hand control member 66 is maintained. When the shift means 114 is moved to the left (as in FIGS. 2 and 6) the connecting part 96 is pivoted to the left, the upwardly extending arm 106 remaining in its slot 118 in the plate 116 of the shift means 114 as before.

The shift means 114 also comprises an upwardly extending bracket 120 having -a notch 122 within which the switch button 46 is received. Hence positioning of the shift means 114 in one operative position or the other not only controls the mechanical connection of the operating members 48 to one or the other of their associated control members 66, 68, but also actuates the switch 44 which `determines the band to be tuned or the type of tuning to be effected.

It will be appreciated that adjustment of the position of he cam on each of the control member 66, 68 can be effected in conventional fashion, since the connecting part 96 engages the extension 88, thus directly mechanically connecting the pushbutton 94 thereto in `a manner functionally comparable to that of the prior art.

Hence the cams 80 on the right hand control members 66 may be set to tune selected stations within a given band, while the cams 80 on the left hand control members 68 may be positioned to tune selected stations in a different band. The same rocker -arm 38 simultaneously positions the movable tuning cores `8 and 10 for the inductances 4 and 6 of the two bands in question, and the switch 44 selects which of the sets of inductances 4 or 6 will be operative at any time. In setting the switch 44 through movement of the shift means 114, the pushbutton mechanism is automatically actuated to render operative those control members 66 or 68 which correspond to the particular band which has been selected. So long as the shift means 114 remains in a position corresponding to a given band, the proper control members -66 or 68 will be rendered -operative whether the operating members 48 are in their operative or inoperative positions or in any intermediate position.

The means employed for selectvely mechanically connecting the operating members 48 to the control members 66, -68 is very readily assembled to the operating member 48, and repairs or replacements can be made merely by removing a given pushbutton 94 and without having to remove the operating member 48 or either of its associated control members 66, 68 from the support 2. Indeed, in the preferred embodiment disclosed in FIGS. 1-9 this removal and replacement is accomplished simply by removing a subassembly comprising the pushbutton 94, the connecting part 96 and the spring 112 and replacing it with another. In an alternative construction, disclosed in FIG. 10, the connecting part 96 is mounted on a shoulder bearing 124 which is slidably received over the forwardly extending nose portion 52 of the operating member 4'8 and which is held in place against the body portion 56 thereof in any appropriate fashion, as by being staked in place and/or by being held in place by the pushbutton 94', the latter carrying the spring 112. In this last described embodiment the connecting part 96 is not combined with the pushbutton 94 in a pre-assembled unit, as in the earlier described embodiment, but the ease and convenience with which the connecting parts 96 may be assembled, removed and replaced relative to the operating members 48 is still retained.

Thus the structure here disclosed is simple, inexpensive and reliable, and results in a tiexibility of tuner operation coupled with accuracy and reliability which has not heretofore been attained.

While but a single embodiment of the present invention has been here specifically disclosed, it will be apparent that many variations may be made therein, all within the scope and spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a pushbutton tuner comprising a support, a pair of tuning means mounted thereon and having movable tuning parts, means for selecting a given tuning means for operative action, and means for positioning the tuning part corresponding to the selected tuning means; the improvement which comprises a plurality of operating members selectively man-ually movable on said support between inoperative and operative positions; a pair of movable control members operatively associated with each operating member and normally disconnected therefrom, each control member normally assuming an inoperative position and being movable to an operative position engaging and actuating said tuning part positioning means; a connecting part carried by and articulately mounted on each `said operating member for movement between first and second operative positions operatively engaging one or the other of said control members and connecting it to said operating member for movement therewith between the -operative and inoperative positions of the latter, said connecting part having a locating porti-on; and shift means on said support, engaged by said locating portions of said connecting parts rand manually movable so as to cause said connecting parts to move between first and second operative positions, said locating portions of said connecting parts remaining in engagement with said shift means as said operating member move between inoperative and operative positions.

2. The tuner of claim 1, in which each of said operating members is provided with a manually accessible button mounted thereon, said connecting parts being mounted on their respective operating members adjacent said buttons.

3. The tuner of claim 1, in which each of said operating members is provided with a manually accessible button mounted thereon, said connecting parts `being mounted on said buttons.

4. The tuner of claim 1, in which said shift means is provided with a plurality of recesses elongated in the direction of movement of said overating members, said locating portions of said connecting parts carried by said operating members being received in said recesses respectively to define said engagement between said connecting parts and said shift means, said locating portions moving along said recesses as said operating members are moved between operative and inoperative positions.

5. In the tuner of claim 4, resilient means active on said connecting member and effective to retain it in one or the other of its operative positions, and in which each of said operating members is provided with a manually accessible button mounted thereon, said connecting parts being mounted on their respective operating members adjacent said buttons.

6. In the tuner of claim 4, resilient means active on said connecting member and effective to retain it in one or the other of its operative positions, and in which each of said operating members is provided with a manually accessible button mounted thereon, said connecting parts being mounted on their respective operating members adjacent said buttons, said `resilient means being operatively connected to said buttons.

7. In the tuner of claim 4, resilient means active on said connecting member and effective to retain it in one or the other of its operative positions, and in which each of said operating members is provided with a manually accessible button mounted thereon, said connecting parts being mounted on the buttons corresponding to their respective operating members.

8. In the tuner of claim 4, resilient means active on said connecting member and effective to retain it in one or the other of its operative positions, and in which each of said operating members is provided with a manually accessible button mounted thereon, said connecting parts and said resilient means being mounted on the buttons corresponding to their respective operating members.

9. In a pushbutton tuner comprising a support, a pair of tuning means mounted thereon and having movable tuning parts, means for selecting a vgiven tuning means for operative action, and means for positioning the tuning parts corresponding to the selected tuning means; the improvement which comprises a plurality of operating members selectively manually movable on said support between inoperative and operative positions; a pair of movable control members operatively associated with each operating member and normally disconnected therefrom, each control member normally assuming an inoperative position and being movable to an operative position engaging and actuating said tuning part positioning means; a connecting part carried by and articulately mounted on each said operating member for movement between first `and second operative positions operatively engaging one or the other of said control members and connecting it to said operating member for movement therewith between the operative and inoperative positions of the latter, said connecting parts having a locating portion; and shift means on said support, engaged by said locating portions of said connecting parts and manually movable so as to cause said connecting parts to move between first and second operative positions, each of said operating members being provided with a manually accessible button mounted thereon, said connecting parts being mounted on the buttons corresponding to their respective operating members.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,247,728 4/1966 Wolf et al. 74-l0.33 3,357,264 12/1967 Newman 74-10.27

MILTON KAUFMAN, Primary Examiner.

U.S. C1. X.R. 334-7 

